Guardians’ Rule 5 success helps twist knife into White Sox's side

It’s no secret that the Cleveland Guardians have owned the Chicago White Sox for the better part of the past half decade. 

And while they haven’t played against the White Sox yet in 2026, they already have a leg up on Chicago this season thanks to the strong play from reliever Peyton Pallette, who the Guardians picked up from the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft in the offseason. 

Pallette has pitched in two games for the Guardians so far this season, where he’s posted a stellar 2.45 ERA in 3 2/3 innings while also getting plenty of work as a multi-inning weapon. 

The Guardians made an aggressive decision to add Pallette during the Rule 5 Draft (which means the only way he can stay with the Guardians is if they keep him on the 26-man roster all season), but he’s rewarded that faith so far thanks to a strong start to the season. 

Rule 5 pick Peyton Pallette has been one of the Guardians’ best relievers so far this season

Pallette made his MLB debut in the second game of the season in what eventually became a 5-1 loss for the Guardians.

While he was working in mop-up duty during that time, he still impressed thanks to two perfect innings that were highlighted by him recording strikeouts against Cal Raleigh and Brendan Donovan. 

Not bad for a guy who had never pitched above Triple-A prior to this season.  

He worked mop-up duty again on Sunday in the Guardians 8-0 loss and allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings. While he wasn’t as sharp as he was in his first appearance of the season, he still was able to limit the damage while also working multiple innings. 

The Guardians clearly like him and want to keep him on the roster all season, and the easiest way to do that is by pitching him in those aforementioned low-leverage situations, so him emerging as a multi-inning weapon should help him in that quest. 

He previously worked as a starter in the White Sox’s system before transitioning to becoming a full-time reliever in 2025. 

It looked like Pallette wasn’t going to be ready at the start of the season thanks to a sore shoulder that robbed him of the first couple weeks of spring training, but he was able to take the diamond and prove that he was at full health and ready to contribute. 

While Stephen Vogt has done a good job using Pallette in low-leverage situations, there’s going to be a point where they’re going to need him in some kind of important situation, especially more injuries pop up over the course of the season.

Vogt may not ask him to get a save against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, but it’s only a matter of time until he’s going to be asked to preserve a lead. 

And, if his early season performance is any indication, he may not have any problem meeting the moment. And if he does then every Guardians fan will have the White Sox to thank.